Returning Home
by Uzumaki Hatsue
Summary: Kurogane finally returns to Japan and Tomoyo has a confession to make to him... full of love. How will he handle it? what else does tomoyo have to tell him? KuroxTomo and a bit of ShaoxSaku FINALLY updated.
1. Good heavens! You're back!

I DO NOT OWN TSUBASA CHRONICLE

Note: Yay!! My first Tsubasa fanfic!! Hope you like it! ENJOY.

Returning home

KuroxTomo

Chapter 1 "Good heavens! You're back!"

"Where are we?" Shaolan asked. They had landed in a meadow of lilies, squishing some of the flowers. "I don't know but the flowers sure smell nice" Sakura replied. "Well, I don't know either but let's ask Mokona-chan" Fai picked up the little white fur ball and looked at her. "Nooo…Mokona doesn't know where we are…" the little thing retorted sadly. "Well then, friends. I think we are lost! For there is no way that Kuro-kichi knows where we are!" they all waited for the angry outburst from Kurogane. It never came. "Kurogane?" but Kurogane was out of earshot, standing at the outskirts of the meadow and looking into the city that stretched out before him. The group rushed over to the ninja. "Do you know where we are, Kurogane?" Shaolan asked his friend. The dark ninja breathed deeply "Yes, I know where we are. This is Japan"

"Japan?! _Your_ Japan???" the group was taken aback. This meant that Kurogane would be leaving them. "I am happy for you" Shaolan said to his friend even if he was sad. Kurogane smiled at him thankfully. He felt a growing sensation in his stomach. He was home. Finally he was home. Finally he could tell Tomoyo a piece of his mind about sending him away.

"That castle over there is Shirasagi Castle. My home." He pointed to a big castle emerging behind the city. "Your HOME?" Fai's, Shaolan's, Mokona's and Sakura's mouths were hanging open. "Yes. Shall we go?" Kurogane asked impatiently, never taking his eyes off the castle. "O-okay."

Kurogane strode through the streets, the merchants who were busy with their goods stopped what they were doing and looked up. Hushed whispers went through the streets

"Kurogane is back!"

"He's back! The Princess will be overjoyed"

"He returned! Kurogane-san has returned!"

"Kurogane! Kurogane!!" a small girl came running towards Kurogane and leapt into his arms. "Misaki!" Kurogane picked her up and hugged the little girl. "Guys, this is Misaki!" he turned around and laughed happily for the first time. It was a weird scene seeing Kurogane laugh. "Um..hi Misaki! I'm Sakura. Nice to meet you" she said to the beaming girl. "And I'm Fai and this is Shaolan and this little thing is Mokona. Misaki, how do you know Kurogane?"

The little girl smiled at them and said, as if it was one of the most normal thing in the world "He saved my life!" she hugged Kurogane's neck. He smiled and put her back down. "I'll see you tomorrow again, okay Misaki? I have to go to Tomoyo now."

"Brother, I heard what Tomoyo-sama did…why are you going back?" the little girl said holding a part of Kurogane's cape. "I have to talk to her" he replied and bent down to hug her. They said their good-byes and strode off again. Sakura was a little confused "Kurogane? Why did she call you brother?"

"I don't know. She started calling me that when I first visited her."

"Oh… I understand" Sakura smiled. It was nice to see Kurogane this happy. She only knew his dark and unsocial side. To see he was so loveable to a little girl made her feel overjoyed.

They were slowly getting nearer to the castle now. The big gate coming into view. Around the castle seemed to be a barrier. It shimmered slightly purple in noon's sun's rays. Kurogane stopped in front of the barrier and held up his hand towards the purple shine. Closing his eyes, he demanded "Open."

A cool feminine voice spoke out of nowhere "And who demands me, the mighty gate of Shirasagi Castle, to open at his will?"

"I do, Kurogane of Suwa"

"Kurogane? So you have indeed returned. And as I see you have learnt some manners. Not shouting or threatening. You and your comrades may enter."

And the gate swung open, revealing a beautiful garden on the other side. The barrier formed a small entrance to let them through. "Thank you" he growled at it and they stormed through.

"HALT!" They were stopped by a tall black-haired woman who came running from somewhere in the garden.

"Who are- Kurogane?" she stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him in utter disbelief.

"Soma" Kurogane said calmly.

A cry of joy and Soma hugged him tightly "Good heavens, you're back!" Kurogane patted her on the shoulder, highly uncomfortable. She let go of him and immediately started talking "Who are you're companions? Where are they from? Oh, Tomoyo-Hime-sama will be thrilled that you're back! She-" Kurogane cut through "Where is she? I want to talk to her"

"She left an hour ago. She went into the Hana Gardens to be alone for a while. Tomoyo-sama started doing that often after you weren't there anymore. But she'll be back in the evening."

"Good. I'll talk to her then. We'll be going in my room now if it's still my room. It is, right, Soma?"

"Yes, of course. Tomoyo personally saw to it that no one messed with your room."

"Thank you, Soma"

He walked past her but then stopped again "It's good to be home" he said.

"It's good that you're back" she replied truthfully.


	2. So you call this a ROOM?

**Note: Thank you guys for the comments! And thank you for the hint that parts of it were missing, I finally uploaded the _whole _chapter so please, ENJOY :D**

**disclaimer: I do not own tsubasa reservoir chronicle...but if I did, there would be more kissing scenes ;) :D**

**Chapter 2 "So you call this a **_**room?"**_

His room was gigantic. A large four poster bed stood in the middle of the wall across from the door, decorated with dragons and strange symbols. A tall window was on one side of the room, also decorated with carved colored glass and strange signs. It took up most of the wall. There was a big drawer over at a wall next to a screen. On it lay a weird hand held mirror, with a frame of gold and a crescent moon of rubies laid into the gold. In the exact middle of the room stood a small table with six seat mats around it, and five of them were occupied by Kurogane, Shaolan, Fai, Sakura and Mokona.

"So you call this a _room_, Kuro-pu? It seems to me more like an apartment! Fiut" Fai laughed, trying to whistle.

"Yes, yes! Kuro-chan lives in his own apartment!!" Mokona sang. Just then a maid came in with a little tray in her hands.

"Sake?" she asked Kurogane, who nodded. They all watched as the maid put down five glasses and poured sake for everyone."Thank you" Shaolan said to her before she left.

"So what will you say to Tomoyo-Hime?" Sakura inquired. Several hours had passed and they all were on their third bottle of sake now. It was a miracle Sakura hadn't passed out yet… But she was still in her right mind, and so were the others (well…except Mokona…she fell asleep J).

"I will give her a piece of my mind." Indeed, Kurogane was very angry with Tomoyo, sending him away like that. What had she been thinking?!

"I will talk to her. But she won't be here till-" he stopped.

His eyes were on the door. He stood up rapidly. The others followed his gaze and there, in the doorway, stood a beautiful pale girl. She wore a white purple Kimono with lots of gold inlays. In her black hair she wore gold hair ornaments, which any girl would admire. Her eyes were fixed upon Kurogane, the color of amethysts.

Kurogane stood up hastily, eyes wide. "Tomoyo…" He walked over to her stiffly.

"Hello Kurogane." She said, blushing slightly.

"You..! How…! I…!" Kurogane stuttered like an idiot. On his face was a bewildered expression.

'Yeah, that's sure giving her a piece of his mind all right!' Fai thought happily.

Kurogane turned to his friends with a forlorn look on his face "This is Princess Tomoyo. Princess Tomoyo, these are my companions who have traveled with me through the dimensions"

Fai stood up and bowed deeply "Fai d. Flourite, I am honored to meet you at last."

Shaolan and Sakura did the same and introduced themselves.

"The pleasure's all mine." said Tomoyo smiling "But I am sorry, I would want to talk to Kurogane in my room" she looked at him with serene eyes. They all nodded, indicating that it was no problem. Kurogane followed Tomoyo out of the room and into hers that was only a few feet away from his.

Tomoyo's room was twice the size of Kurogane's. They stood in the room for quite some time without saying anything. Suddenly Tomoyo looked up to him, determined to break the silence. With an air of dignity and her head held high she began talking

"Kurogane, I am very happy you have returned home. Your people have missed you. And…" her voice broke. Tears started running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Kurogane…Forgive me, I was so stupid…" she looked to the floor, all of her dignity and princess-like behavior vanished. Now she was just a girl crying in front of a boy.

"I couldn't forgive myself what I did to you…I couldn't sleep for months, I was always thinking about you, afraid that you might get injured or…"she broke off, not being able to say the last word "I'm so sorry…" Tomoyo-Hime sobbed. She half expected him to leave the room or start shouting, but he only stood there, looking at her.

Suddenly she felt his strong arms embracing her. She hugged him back, crying silently. "I'm sorry.." she whispered. That only made him hold her even tighter and closer to himself. "Fool. I came back, didn't I?" They held each other for a very long time, before Tomoyo let go of him.

She took his hand and sat with him on her bed. She looked at Kurogane sadly and started crying again. When she spoke, however, her voice was strong and clear "I understand if you cannot forgive me, Kurogane. I haven't forgiven myself either. I have longed and feared for this day to come when I could finally have you near again. And I beg of you, forgive me. You don't know how much pain I inflicted on myself by sending you away. My heart aching over you not being there." her voice broke "And now I fear your answer"

Kurogane took his hand out of hers, making her flinch. His hand stroked her cheek softly and his face drew nearer to hers. She thought he was going to kiss her. Closing his eyes, he licked a tear off of her cheek. She shivered slightly at his touch. Kurogane drew his face back from hers and looked her straight into the eyes. Red met amethyst. "I already forgave you when you stood in my doorway" he said to her truthfully.

Tomoyo smiled relieved and threw her arms around his neck "Thank you, Kurogane! Thank you…" he hugged her back.

It was wonderful holding her in his arms, feeling her face so close to his. She felt the same way. She wanted to be lost in his arms forever. So often had she dreamed about this, holding him, smelling his scent, looking into his eyes. And now that this dream had become reality, she never wanted him to leave again.

"Kurogane, I have to tell you something." She said to him, laying her head onto his torso

"After you were gone, I realized something. I felt lonely and I thought only of you." she shocked him a little by these words, for he never thought she would feel the same way about him the way he felt for her. He thought it didn't matter to her that he was gone for so long.

She continued "I went to the Hana Gardens everyday to think about why I was feeling these things for you. The peace and quiet helped me think but the quietness also made me worry constantly about you. And a month after I sent you to the witch I finally knew what had happened. I always knew it, but I never wanted to admit it…" she looked into his eyes, dreading that courage would leave her before she could speak.

He smiled at her, making her speak on "I fell in love with you, ever since I met you, but I have to tell you that I'm-"

Kurogane's mouth stood ajar and his eyes were widened. She fell in love? With _him_? This couldn't be true. He stood up from her bed and strode to her door. She had caught him by total surprise. "Kurogane, wait!" she cried desperately after him but it was too late.

He had already gone.


	3. She's the frickin' Princess!

**Note: YAY chapter threeeee XD hope you like it :)**

**disclaimer: I do not own trc...**

**Chapter 3 "She's the frickin' Princess!!"**

Kurogane opened the door to his room and stormed in. Breathing hard, he leant against the door earning surprised looks from the others.

"What's wrong, Kurogane? Did something happen?" Shaolan asked him worriedly.

"I-she…! Uhh!" he groaned and put his face into his hands "Dammit!" Could it be worse?! Tomoyo, the high priestess, the PRINCESS, had declared her love for him and he acted like an idiot!

"Kurogane-san…would you like to talk about it?" Sakura asked carefully. Fai and Shaolan looked at her incredulously. Kurogane talk about something? Not even if his life depended on it. Never in a thousand yea-

"Yes"

WHAAAAAAAT?! Shaolan and Fai fell over, gasping. Catching themselves again, Fai gave Kurogane a look that said: _Who the HECK are you?! _

"Don't look at me like that!" he shook his fist at Fai, sitting down next to them on the sitting cushions.

"Well, okay…but what happened to make you almost give us all a heart attack, Kuro-kichi?" Kurogane looked away. How should he start? WHERE should he start?

"She said- she told me-!"

"She told you she loves you?" Sakura asked him smiling.

"HUH?" again, there were gasps from his male companions.

"How did you..?!" the tall ninja was startled.

"I could see it just by looking at you" she grinned and Shaolan looked at her lovingly.

"And? Did you answer?"

Kurogane looked forlorn.

"Ah…" Fai sighed "You didn't answer."

Kurogane nodded solemnly.

"Do you know what you will answer her?" Sakura asked, feeling compassion for him.

"I don't know how to answer her. I don't know what I feel. She's the frickin' _Princess_! I wouldn't- I couldn't fall for her!" the tall ninja looked angry with himself.

"But we all thought you liked her" Fai was surprised.

Backing down wasn't a thing Kurogane did often. Shooting Fai a death glare, Kurogane dumped down a glass of sake.

"Maybe we should leave you for awhile…you know, let you think things through." Shaolan said.

"Yes, that's a good idea. I'd like to see those flower gardens right outside your window! They look great" Fai chimed, and together with Shaolan and Sakura, who was carrying Mokona, he left the room.

Kurogane had his room all to himself now. It seemed the wide spaces were crashing down on him. He stood up, walking over to the drawer with the mirror on it.

_Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!! _

He slammed his fist down on the hard wood. He could have sworn his fist had left a mark.

_Damn you, Tomoyo, and your great confession! What shall I make of this?! First you send me away and now you declare love? LOVE?!_

His fury raged through him like tidal waves. But eventually, he calmed down. What _did_ he make of this? What was now, when he knew of her love?

How would they go on? Would their strong friendship still be intact, or would it be a burden?

_But...it would only be a burden if I didn't love her back...do I love her?_

Kurogane's eyes widened at his question. Did he love her? Of course, there was always this master-servant relationship between them, not forgetting their childhood friendship. He longed to come back to Japan when he was in other dimensions, but did he only long for Japan?? Didn't he feel lonely beyond reason because she was never by his side? Hadn't the encounter with the Piffle-Tomoyo showed him how much he missed her? What a relief it had been, seeing her figures, her eyes, even though it wasn't really her?

He closed his eyes, trying to remember every moment he and Tomoyo had shared before he was sent away. Her face, beaming, swam before his eyes and a strange feeling rushed through his stomach. He loved her laughs, her smiles, her jokes, her _company._ When they were parted he could still feel where she was, even if she might be hundreds of miles away from him. Like they were attached to one another by an unseen thread.

A feeling of hurt urged through him when he thought about the times where she had been sick, just a mere fever always, but it would still turn his insides upside down.

Realization dawned on him.

_What kind of fool am I? I'm a ninja, for god's sake! How could I have been so blind?!_

Kurogane walked into the hallway, turned right, to see her bedroom door only a few feet away. When he stood in front, he knocked once, and entered. Tomoyo was sitting where he had left her.


	4. Promised

**Note: Soooo here it is :D I was writing on this till midnight xD thanks all of you for the great reviews! enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own trc...**

**Chapter 4 "Promised"**

"Kurogane?" she looked up, surprised.

Kurogane marched over to stand right in front of her "Tomoyo! I have to tell you-"

"No, stop!" she demanded, her voice trembling. She got off of her bed, and looked up into his eyes.

"Whatever you have to say, don't say it now. I have to tell you something. And if you tell me what you feel now, I probably couldn't continue." her eyes locked with his, looking sad, but determined.

Kurogane held her gaze. What was more important than letting her know his feelings?

Tomoyo finally looked away and drew breath, it seemed to be a very difficult task for her.

She took one step away from him, standing against a wall, her eyes narrowing.

"As you know, we have been in a strife with our neighbor country, Kentaji." Her eyes flickered to his face, and he nodded. He didn't like the faraway look on her face.

"Things got a little difficult after our last meeting. They sent warriors to attack the castle, but we stopped them. My sister, the Empress, sought a meeting with the ruler of Kentaji. They found an agreement. We lived happily with our neighbor country for quite some time now. And in course of events…the prince, Rioushin…," Tomoyo lifted her eyes to Kurogane's, her expression went blank "…asked for my hand in marriage."

"But-wait, you didn't…say yes, did you?" the tall ninja froze where he stood.

Tomoyo dropped her gaze. She didn't say anything.

"Tomoyo, answer me! Did you say yes?!" fear was building up inside Kurogane. Why wasn't she answering?

"Kurogane, you must understand, I begged my sister to reconsider. She said it would be a calamity for my country if I refused. I said yes…and Ameterasu told Rioushin I gladly accepted his offer."

The tall man looked at her, confused.

"Which means…that I am engaged."

Kurogane stood there, unable to move. Shock was written across his face. His world had stopped, everything seemed unreal to him.

Tomoyo was engaged. _Engaged. Promised. _To be married. Rioushin, what kind of name was that? The name of a stuck-up peacock. He started trembling all over, anger rising within him.

"I'm sorry." Tomoyo stated, trying to sound indifferent.

He slowly began talking, his voice sounding like a knife "And I guess, a princess and a prince would make a better couple than a princess and a ninja. Ameterasu must love this pairing."

"She would never let me marry him if it weren't for our country."

"Then why doesn't she marry him herself?! Why you?! Why YOU?!" his voice started getting louder, he was desperately hoping this was a joke.

"He is my age. My sister is 24, he is 17. The difference in age would have been a big issue. The prince is only a year older than I am so we could relate." She stood there, totally emotionless, looking at the shaking Kurogane.

"No! NO! This can't be true! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SEND ME AWAY! THIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED HAD I BEEN HERE!!" he hollered at her, unable to control his anger.

"It would have happened!! If you had been here, what do you think you would have done?!" she shouted back at him, tears swelling in her eyes.

Kurogane started pacing through the room, eyes hard, one hand forcefully ruffling his spiky black hair.

"We were never a couple!" Tomoyo forced on "We never declared our love for each other! We never kissed! We aren't promised, Kurogane!"

"We never kissed, eh?!" Kurogane said, a mad expression on his face.

He walked over to her, totally determined. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. Kurogane gave her one more furious look and pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her hard, in a very passionate way. She wriggled under his strong grip but couldn't stop him. Eventually, she gave in. Tomoyo kissed back, knowing this was probably the only kiss she was ever going to have with the man she truly loved.

He noticed she wasn't fighting against him anymore and decided to let her go. Out of breath, he said "We never kissed, huh? Now we did."

"Kurogane…" she whispered.

He turned to leave and walked to the door. Before he opened it, he looked over his shoulder "You may think that it would have still happened if I had been here, but that's where you go wrong. I would have made all the difference.", with that, he left, leaving Tomoyo alone once more.

**--**

**Note: ...does he ever stop running in and out of her room??...yay! a kiss XD I was planning to let her slap him... but that would have been to dramatic...lol xD next chapter will be here shortly. **


	5. Husband? Yay

**Note: enjoy!:)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own trc**

**Chapter 5 "Husband. yay."**

The next morning, Kurogane got dressed and went to wake the others. They had been assigned their own rooms. The others were already awake, and together with Kurogane as their lead, they walked through the castle to the main hall, where breakfast was waiting for them.

"Sooo…how did it go?" Fai inquired teasingly.

Kurogane only grumped and cut his fish with such ferocity that everybody flinched.

"Oh..that bad, huh?" Fai said, but regretted it right after Kurogane shot him an "I hate you" glare.

"Kurogane-san, what happened?" Sakura asked, pretending she hadn't seen the glare the ninja had given the magician.

"Humph" was his only answer, as he started shoving sushi down his throat.

"Good morning" a voice similar to bells said, directly behind Kurogane, who choked on his sushi.

"Good morning, your highness!!" Fai waved, trying to get rid of the icy atmosphere that had reigned only moments ago, while Shaolan hit Kurogane hard on his back.

"Hai, hai!!" Mokona jumped up and down in his seat.

"Good morning to you, too, little shiro-manju." She said, smiling at the little fur ball, and sat down at the end of the table, opposite Kurogane, who didn't look at her.

The icy atmosphere returned, even though Mokona and Fai tried their best to keep everybody distracted.

"I was wondering, if you would like to attend to my wedding ceremony the coming month." Tomoyo said, as if she were talking about the state of the weather. Kurogane slammed his fist down on the table, looking away.

"Wedding..ceremony?" Shaolan asked, bewildered.

Fai and Sakura looked from Tomoyo to Kurogane, and back again.

"Who is the lucky groom, if I may ask?" Fai inquired, giving Kurogane a glance. If the groom was who Fai thought it would be, then Kurogane had lied to them all.

_It went bad, my ass. _Fai thought.

"His name is Rioushin of Kentaji. He will be arriving this evening."

Kurogane got up, and left the hall.

…_Maybe it did go bad after all…_ Fai corrected himself.

"Tomoyo-Hime-" Sakura began, but was cut through Tomoyo "Please, call me Tomoyo"



"Alright, Tomoyo. We thought…Kurogane-san…and you.." her voice trailed off. Tomoyo's face was emotionless.

"Kurogane and I…aren't bonded in any way but servant and master. I will marry Prince Rioushin, and Kurogane will remain my guard, if he wishes to do so." Her voice was steady, but her eyes were a sea of emotions.

"Your highness" Soma was suddenly standing at her side.

"Ah, yes" Tomoyo put on a smile "I asked Soma to guide you through the castle and the gardens. I understand that you, Shaolan-kun, take an interest in culture. I hoped it would interest you"

"Oh, thank you" Shaolan bowed his head. The group stood up and followed Soma out of the hall. All, except Sakura, who stayed behind with Tomoyo.

"Is there something bothering you, Sakura-Hime?"

"Please, call me Sakura, it would be unfair if only I got to call you by your name."

"Very well, Sakura." She smiled a sad smile.

"You don't really love the Prince, do you, Tomoyo?" Sakura asked straight out, wondering if it was okay to ask so bluntly.

"Ah, truly, I do not. I guess it is pretty obvious, isn't it?" Tomoyo chuckled.

"Why did you accept to marry him?"

"I accepted…for my people. My sister informed me that it was crucial to prevent a war. I knew this, of course, so I said yes."

"But, you love Kuro-" Sakura stopped, afraid she had gone too far "I'm sorry-I didn't mean to-oh.."

"Sadly, you are right," She sighed "and that makes it so much more difficult for me."

Sakura took Tomoyo's hands "No! You can't marry him! Kurogane would suffer forever!"

"Kurogane? Suffer?" Tomoyo looked a little bemused "He wouldn't suffer. He doesn't feel anything for my but loyalty and gratefulness."

"Do you know that?!" Sakura asked, tears streaming down her eyes "Did he ever tell you how he felt?"

"He wanted to tell me, but I didn't want to hear it. I wanted to give him a chance to reconsider. And it would have been too painful to hear a rejection from him."

"A chance to reconsider?"

"Yes. I wanted to tell him of my engagement before he told me of his feelings. I didn't want to hurt him by letting him confess to me and then me having to reject him. The pain it would have caused him would have been more painful for me than anything, more painful than having _him_ reject _me_. And if he really felt anything for me, by now, it definitely would have turned to hate."

Tomoyo shivered. Sakura could understand her. If Kurogane had told her he loved her, and then found out she was engaged, he would have been ripped apart by his agony and humiliation. Carefully, Sakura hugged the other princess.

Tomoyo was surprised, but found the hug very comforting. She never knew that her love for the tall ninja was so strong, and in the end, it would hurt like hell.

111111111111111111111111111111

"Kurogane" a cool feminine voice called.

He glared, but said nothing.

"Kurogane" the voice ringed again, forcefully.

"What?!" spitting the word out he looked the slender woman in front of him.

Why he had been summoned to the throne chamber was a mystery to him. There he was, minding his own business, perfectly sulking in a far corner of the castle, scaring off stray servants who dared cross his path and all of a sudden a terrified looking boy came closer to him and told him the empress had sent for him.

_Great._

"You are to guard Rioushin when he comes. He's been here before, but this time he comes with valuable presents that will make him a target for assassins." Ameterasu told him calmly.

_No._

_Way._

_In._

_Hell._

"You expect _me _to protect that bastard?" he hissed.

In his head he made plans to 'accidentally' let an assassin get through his guard.

"Yes. Is there a problem, Kurogane?" she lowered her voice, it sounded like a threat.

"No, your _Highness._" He laid a lot of emphasis on the last two syllables.

"Then you may leave."

As he spun around, a question turned up in his head. "Say, Ameterasu." Gasps came from servants nearby, how could he address the empress with so little respect?

"Will she be leaving?"

"I cannot follow, Kurogane."

"Will she be living in Kentaji?" he growled.

"Ah, no. Tsukuyomi will be staying here…with her new husband."

Each word was a blow to his insides. _Husband_. Yay.

_Maybe I'll let 2 assassins through…just to be sure._

_--_

**Note: jeeesh, full of drama! :D I hoped you liked it :) next chapter: we will meet Prince Rioushin...**


	6. A Royal Kiss

**Note: Again, thank you guys for your awesome commtents!:D I think this is the longest chapter I ever wrote...I was planning to make it longer but then I decided to make another chapter out of the rest XD I hope you will like this one...no doubt some of you will have the urge to sharpen your knives...ohohohoho...enjoy!:D**

Disclaimer: I don't own trc.

**Chapter 6 "A Royal Kiss"**

The evening finally came, and Kurogane and Soma were sent to welcome the Prince. They stood at the outskirts of town, waiting to see the carriage in which the prince would arrive.

After half an hour, it finally came. It was midnight blue, bearing the crest of Kentaji, a silver phoenix, on each side.

"Are you the escort to the castle?" a guard who was riding a horse beside the carriage asked.

"Yes." Soma answered swiftly, before Kurogane could do so much as growl.

The Kentaji guard nodded to his fellowship, and together they walked to Shirasagi Castle.

There were no assassin attacks, which was a big letdown for Kurogane.

Arriving at their destination, Ameterasu welcomed her guest, and Kurogane saw, for the first time, the face of the man who was promised to Tomoyo. The prince was tall, yet not as tall as Kurogane. Rioushin had short dark brown hair and light blue eyes, which glowed in the setting sun like sapphires. His figure was similar to Fai's. Although the prince maybe had a bit more muscles.

_He will have to train up a lot if he wants to protect Tomoyo. _Kurogane thought bitterly.

"Good evening, Ameterasu-sama. I hope you are doing well" the princling bowed to her.

"I am fine, Rioushin-san. Was your trip agreeable?"

"Yes, very. You get used to the long distance after you've made the trip 13 times," he laughed, and his guards laughed with him.

_13 TIMES?! _

Kurogane made a movement forward but was caught by Soma by his arm. She, apparently, had been informed to keep a close eye on him.

Ameterasu, who had overlooked the action by one of her ninja merely chuckled at Rioushin's joke.

The royals went inside, followed only by Soma and Kurogane.

"And how is Tsukuyomi doing? Is she alright? I haven't seen her for 4 days…" he sighed, and Kurogane cursed him under his breath.

_4 days? Try a _year_!_

"She is in good health." They stood in front of a large oak door, which led to a giant living room. "Tsukuyomi is in here," she bowed her head to the Prince, who bowed back.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Soma, come with me. I wish to discuss the placing of the guards on the wedding."



Soma, looking from Kurogane to her master, clearly debating with herself whether she should leave Kurogane alone or not, hesitantly followed the Empress, giving Kurogane one last warning look.

"Well then, shall we?" Rioushin said, before opening the heavy, oak door.

Inside there were many candles lit, and the crescent moons that decorated the walls seemed to glow like the real moon. In the middle of the room, a petite, pale figure stood, wearing a beautiful red kimono.

Kurogane was stunned, and Rioushin gasped. In the candlelight, Tomoyo looked like an angel from the heavens. Her eyes glistened a deep mauve as she gazed at the two visitors. Her eyes lingered on Kurogane only a split second before she looked at Rioushin.

"Welcome, my prince." She said, smiling affectionately.

To Kurogane, it was the most heartbreaking smile he had ever seen.

Rioushin walked over to Tomoyo in a few strides and kneeled on one knee, head low.

"My love, I have missed you."

"And I, you." She lied, Kurogane could hear that. A tug on his sleeve made Kurogane avert his gaze from the couple. Two maids were trying to pull him into the shadows.

"Give the two lovers some space!" one of them whispered.

_Lovers? What the heck?_

Kurogane did as he was told. Standing in the far corner of the room, he looked at them once more.

Rioushin got up, and locked Tomoyo in a tight embrace, which she returned halfheartedly.

Kurogane felt a searing pain in his heart, as if someone had stabbed him with a rusty knife. Rioushin let her go after what seemed to be eternity to Kurogane, and sat down on a couch together with Tomoyo.

"My angel, you look beautiful." He told her, a great loving smile on his face.

"You flatter me, my prince."

"The truth, my darling. I only speak of the truth."

Kurogane could have cut Rioushin's throat for every pet name that bastard gave her.

_My angel, my darling…Ugh! She isn't yours yet, you asshole!_

"I truly missed you. I thought of you every second. I hate to be parted from you longer than a day…thankfully we won't be parted after our marriage."

She smiled, but said nothing.

"So what have you been doing in my absence?" he asked, polite interest in his tone.

"Not much, my prince." She lied again, smiling a sad smile.

"Tomoyo-sama, what is wrong?" Rioushin asked, concerned. She looked away from him, but again, she stayed silent.

Rioushin put a hand on her cheek, turning her head back to him. His blue eyes looked worried. Softly, he lifted her chin up to his, breathed the words "I love you" and kissed her.

The pain the imaginary stab in Kurogane's heart had inflicted on him was nothing compared to the pain now. It was like every pore of his body was being sliced into a million little pieces while at the same time, anger and hate rushed through him like fire. But worst of all was the disappointment. Somewhere, deep down, he had hoped Tomoyo would shove Rioushin away, declare she didn't want to marry him, and come running into Kurogane's arms.

_Fool. As if she could love a ninja over a prince!_

Next to him, the maids were giggling and commenting on how handsome Rioushin looked, even whilst kissing.

Kurogane tried to finally look away from the scene, but couldn't. He was petrified. His eyes were stuck to his princess, watching the way she kissed the prince. She kissed him back with such intensity that, for a moment, only the feeling of agony reigned his body.

The royals finally broke their kiss, but the prince pulled the princess into yet another embrace. Tomoyo looked over Rioushin's shoulder and found Kurogane's eyes. She looked shocked. Had he seen? Hadn't she told the maids to bring him out of the room as quickly as possible if an intimate moment occurred?

There he stood, his tall figure standing against a wall in the far corner of the room, his expression full of something Tomoyo couldn't describe. Was it anger? Or sorrow? Whatever it was, it was painful to look at. She softly let go of Rioushin, who looked surprised.

"Dinner will be ready by now. We better go" she beamed at him, trying to hide her discomfort.

"How thoughtful you are!" the prince chuckled, and together they left the candle lit room, followed by two maids and Kurogane, who slowly walked behind them.

--

**Note: Gaaah! this is getting so dramatic! next chapters will be more kurotomo-ish! I hoped you liked it...:) **


	7. Stargazing

**NOTE: Okayyyyy people! Bear with me now, this is the longest chapter EVER! ohohohohoh and you may finally see some fluff :D I hope you aren't bored to tears...I had a hard time writing this one :D ENJOY :D**

**Chapter 7 "Stargazing"**

A huge turkey had been prepared in honor of Prince Rioushin. Tomoyo sat at one end of the long table, her fiancé at the other, where Kurogane usually sat. Shooting Rioushin death glares from time to time, he greeted his friends that were slowly filling into the hall.

"Kuro-puu! Where have you been??" Fai asked, putting on a pouting face and sitting himself beside the spiky haired ninja.

"On duty." He grumped back, giving Rioushin yet another "I could hit the crap out of you" glare.

Shaolan and Sakura seated themselves opposite Fai and Kurogane, which left Mokona to sit besides Fai.

Fai looked around the table, smiling. His smile vanished, however, as his eyes locked upon one person in particular. "Is this…him?" Fai whispered to Kurogane.

"Hmpf" Kurogane grunted.

"My prince, these are my other guests. They are the friends of my ninja, Kurogane, who, as you have probably noticed, helped guard your carriage tonight." Tomoyo said, her voice light and happy.

"Oh, of course. Who wouldn't notice him?" he laughed sheepishly.

_My victims._

And again nasty plans for Rioushin were made inside Kurogane's head. Fai, noticing the evil grin that suddenly took up Kurogane's face, made to pinch his friend in his leg.

"OW! That hurt, dammit!!" Kurogane roared at him rubbing his upper thigh.

"Hahahaha, Kuro-samaaaaaa, I do not know what you mean!" Fai waved his hand.

Tomoyo laughed "This is Princess Sakura of Clow Country, next to her is Shaolan, also from Clow Country, and across from them sit Kurogane and Fai, a magician from Celes Country, and the shiro-manju is Mokona." She indicated to each person with a wave of her hand.

"And this, my friends, is Rioushin of Kentaji, my…fiancé." She paused at the last word, before turning a beaming smile to the group.

Kurogane, as well as Sakura, could tell that her smile was completely artificial.

"Oh? I take it that you're travelers then?" Rioushin asked Shaolan.

"Yes, your Highness." He bowed his head.

"Oh, no- please call me Rioushin" the prince smiled warmly, and all in all, he didn't make a bad impression on any of them. Except for Kurogane, who was totally biased.

Shaolan smiled, and Rioushin continued talking.

"I so hope you will be present at our wedding. I can see Tomoyo is very fond of you all"

Kurogane hissed silently. Rioushin maybe had ignored the glares, but he didn't want to overlook this impertinence.

"Do you have a problem, Kurogane-san?" Rioushin's blue eyes pierced him.

"Yes, _Sir_. I know you are Tsukuyomi-sama's (his mouth twitched. He had never, EVER, called Tomoyo 'Tsukuyomi-sama' in his entire life)… _fiancé_, but there is no need to drop the suffixes to her royal name." Kurogane finished, smiling innocently (he tried very hard on this smile. It was kinda scary, really..).

His crimson eyes darted over to Tomoyo, flashing her a swift grin, swearing the corners of her mouth went up ever so slightly.

"It's interesting," Rioushin said, while cutting the meat on his plate, "That _you_ out of all people say that."

Kurogane's head jerked up "What d'you mean?" he growled, eyes turning to ruby slits.

"I mean to say, _Tomoyo, "_ he scowled at Kurogane "told me about you, and how you always called her by her name. Why should I, her soon-to-be-husband, stand down to some ninja?"

The black haired male's temple throbbed dangerously. His knuckles turned white because he was clenching his fists so hard. The time travelers exchanged glances, they knew Kurogane would have exploded on a normal occasion.

"Of course, sire, you are right."

The rest of the evening went by quietly. Everyone resumed eating silently and when the time came to say good night, Prince Rioushin was back to his normal, civil self.

"Good night, my Princesses, may your sleep be full of lovely dreams." He bowed to the two girls, kissing Sakura on the hand and Tomoyo on the hand and cheek. Shaolan's jaw dropped and Kurogane noted to himself that he should have warned the kid of Rioushin's kissy nature.

"Good night to also to you, good sirs. I shall see you in the morning." He smiled a brilliant smile, and left.

"Sleep tight!" Fai patted Kurogane on the shoulder, Mokona snuggled up in his arms.

"Good night" Sakura and Shaolan said at the same time, both blushing.

"I'll see you in the morning." Tomoyo smiled, and went out of the hall. Kurogane looked after her. "Go on." Fai winked at him "I bet she could use a good night kiss!"

Kurogane gave him an exasperated look, and went after her.

The corridors were dimly lit, so that he couldn't really see Tomoyo anymore. But he knew where she was, he could feel her after all. Her and only her. The Thread that connected them never failed. He closed his eyes, and felt her heartbeat. She was walking down the east wing, what she was doing there? He had no idea. Kurogane moved faster, anger slowly building up inside him.

What had she told that bastard about him? Enough to know that he called her by her first name.

He slowed his pace, he was standing a few feet away from her. She walked to a window and stopped, the moon's rays casting her shadow to the floor.

"Yes, Kurogane?" she asked into the silence.

"Tomoyo. Or should I say…Tsukuyomi-sama?" he growled, walking closer to her. His steps filled the corridor, since he wasn't trying to hide them anymore. The atmosphere was eerie, as if the moon had laid a veil over the two people.

"I was wondering, what _exactly_ did you tell that oaf about me?" his voice was no more but a whisper, ebbing with his contempt.

"I told him that you were my closest friend, and of your liking to call me by my name." she turned around, only to see Kurogane hovering above her. Kurogane's eyes locked with hers. His face was totally emotionless. They stood there for quite some time, until the male's eyebrows furrowed.

"You exchanged a warm welcome with him today." Kurogane stated, trying to sound aloof.

"Forgive me, I hadn't meant for you to see that. I'm sorry you had to witness."

"It seemed to me you were quite enjoying yourself." He laughed, a humorless bark.

Tomoyo looked at him shocked "How can you think that when you know my heart belongs another?!" her voice was rising sharply, she was angry.

"How can I _not_ think that when I see you kissing him so deliberately?!" raising his voice to shout.

"What was I supposed to do? Push him away?!"

"Yes! Or maybe your heart truly craves for his, and not for mine??"

"How _dare_ you?!" she screeched. "Do you really think my feelings are so shallow?!"

"On seeing you kiss him like that, my answer is _yes_! Maybe you should just marry him now, have lots of heirs and live happily ever after! " he hollered.

_Whack!_

Tomoyo slapped him. Her face was a battlefield of outrage and disbelief. Her eyes glistened with tears. Kurogane was speechless. He had gone way too far.

The princess wheeled around "Why do I even bother? It's not like you _cared_."

"Now wait a minute! I never said I didn't care!" Kurogane grabbed arm, not permitting her to walk away.

Tomoyo turned again, fury burning in her amethyst orbs. "You just practically told me that I am shallow and that I should go to hell and you expect me to think you _care_?! You may think that I am idiotic in many ways, particularly because I fell in love with _some raging ninja_, but I am not!"

"I-"

"Tomoyo? Tomoyo, love, are you there?" Kurogane's words had been cut through another voice. Hurried footsteps came closer to them. The tall dark figure of Kurogane instantly stepped away from Tomoyo in two long strides, leaving only her to be standing in the moonlight.

Around a corner came Rioushin, looking just the same as when he had left the dinner table.

"Is..something wrong?" he asked, eyes moving from the clearly troubled Tomoyo, to her angry looking guard.

"It's nothing, dear, the ninja was about to leave." Tomoyo said in a sing-song voice.

"Nothing? But I see you are not doing too well, Tomoyo. What has he done to you?" he shot a nasty glare at Kurogane, still looming in the shadows.

"He hasn't done anything. We were really just talking. Everything's fine!!" Tomoyo laughed wholeheartedly, throwing in a few "hohoho's" here and there and trying to leave with Rioushin.

"That's good, but wait," he didn't give in to her pulling on his sleeve and moved closer to Kurogane "Two things irritate me about you, ninja." He smiled slightly "For one thing, I do not understand why you always look at me like you're about to kill me, and, secondly, "his smile vanished "I do not like the way you look so lovingly at my bride-to-be."

Kurogane's eyes narrowed. He was sure he had looked at Tomoyo just as he usually did, with no emotion whatsoever.

"What do you feel for her?" The prince asked, blue orbs piercing red.

Kurogane looked at Tomoyo over Rioushin's shoulder. She had turned around, her back to them. Only her head was turned slightly to the two men over her shoulder. The violet eyes had a distant look in them, as if she wasn't there anymore.

As Kurogane looked back to Rioushin, pure malice in his ruby eyes, he spoke.

"Nothing."

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Two weeks had passed since Kurogane had stated his indifference to Tomoyo. He found that slight changes had been taken to his guard duties. He was to be head of the night guard around the castle, instructing where guards were to be posted, instead of being Tomoyo's personal ninja guard. He and Tomoyo never met, and when they did, he bowed and she said nothing.

The days past by and Kurogane spent his day mainly on the roof where he could sometimes see Fai and Mokona entertaining some ladies in waiting in the gardens. Shaolan spent most of his time in the gigantic library of the castle, and Sakura would visit him every evening wearing new clothes that Tomoyo had made especially for her.

Eventually, he'd sight Rioushin and Tomoyo walking to the lily pond now and then, and Kurogane would painfully remember what had happened after his stupid statement…

_Tomoyo drew in a sharp breath and turned her head away now too._

"_Nothing? Well, that is how it's supposed to be between servant and master, is it not?" Rioushin laughed, it was obvious a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders._

"_Tomoyo, and what about you? Although I doubt you could feel anything towards him" he said as if it was a laughing matter. _

"_I…" _

"_Tsukuyomi? What is it?"_

"_No…I do not feel anything for this man. If you would excuse me now, I am tired." _

_Kurogane was stunned. Normally, he could hear instantly when Tomoyo lied. This time…he found no lie in her voice._

"Ugh, I am such an idiot!" he sighed, and lay back down on the rooftop of the gardeners shed, which he had occupied five hours ago. He liked it there because it was hidden in the mighty woods of Shirasagi Castle. It was already night. The stars shone bright but the glorious full moon overpowered them.

Light steps on the grass caught his ears.

"Tomoyo.."

The princess walked through the woods alone, and Kurogane thought he already knew where she was going. He got off the shed and followed her as quietly as possible. He let her have a head start, and after three minutes or so, he arrived at the hidden destination point.

It was a small circular clearance with nothing but grass and the high oak trees that surrounded it. Looking upwards, the moon seemed to be just above it, shining on the little clearance.

Feeling unwatched, Tomoyo dropped onto the damp grass and looked at the sky.

Just then Kurogane walked towards her slowly "May I sit down?"

Tomoyo just looked at him and gave him a curt nod.

Together they sat in silence for quite some time, watching the stars.

"I'm sorry" Kurogane said after long consideration "I was stupid. It was the biggest lie I ever told. You mean much more to me than nothing."

He took his eyes off the shooting star he was watching and lowered his gaze to the floor.

Tomoyo inclined her head to face his, smiling a little "Then, I forgive you, if you can forgive me"

"For what?" Kurogane looked into her eyes.

"For me telling the same lie"

"I…I didn't hear you tell a lie."

"That was because I had practiced. For Rioushin, you know" she chuckled evilly.

"Hmm" Kurogane didn't let it on, but he was immensely relieved.

Tomoyo lay down upon the grass, looking again at the stars overhead. Kurogane laid down beside her, smiling.

"Here you first vowed to me that you would protect me." She said, glowing even in the darkness.

"Yeah, and you didn't wanna listen to me about the rain!!" he laughed thinking back to the scene…

* * *

"_Tomoyo-Hime!! Wait!" a tall boy called after a pale girl who was running away from him laughing. "Kurogane is much too slow!! Catch me!!"_

_The boy, stunned by her accusation of being too slow, ran faster. It was dark out, and they were running through what seemed to be a forest. _

"_Gotcha!" The boy cried as he flung himself onto the little princess and they landed of the soft grass. The girl laughed, she seemed to be the age of 11 and he 13._

"_You got me after all!! Oh, look!!" she pointed at the sky over them. The sky was full of silver streaks. Shooting stars flew over them like there was no tomorrow. _

"_Wow…" the boy had never seen so many stars fall at once before. _

"_It is magnificent…quick!! Make a wish!" Tomoyo urged beside him._

"_A..wish?" _

"_Yes, that's what you do when you see shooting stars, dummy!" she smiled brightly._

"_Oh…what should I wish for?"_

"_I'd wish that we all would stay together. O-nee-sama, Souma, everyone that I cherish…you, and me"_

"_Why shouldn't we be together?" the small Kurogane asked, blushing slightly._

"_Well, I am always in certain danger, you know, me being the high priestess. Assassins, bandits, kidnappers…they all come for me…but my sister and Souma and her ninja guard are there to protect me!" she smiled at the boy laying next to her._

"_Tomoyo…" he had never really known how much danger she was in constantly. Something in his insides stirred. He didn't want her to get hurt. She was the closest thing he had to a family and he wouldn't let her be taken away from him._

"_Yes?"_

"_I will be there to protect you, too" he looked into the sky, vowing it to himself._

"_Kurogane… you don't have to." Tomoyo looked at him with a worried expression._

"_I'll be there. I swear." He turned his head to face her, fire burning deep in his ruby eyes._

"_Thank you, Kurogane" glowing, she laid her hand in his. _

"_Look! Don't those stars seem like a flower??" she asked excitedly the next second. _

"_A flower? Tomoyo, I think you should have your eyes checked. It looks like a circle to me!" he laughed, squeezing her hand._

"_Very funny." She playfully glared at him._

_Suddenly the sky darkened and it began to rain. "Rain?!" Kurogane jumped up._

"_Ohohoho…" Tomoyo laughed._

"_Tomoyo! Get up! You'll get sick!" he tried to pull her in an upright position but failed. _

"_This is nice, Kurogane! Just lay back down!" She laughed, rolling around, getting herself all wet. _

"………_.." his eyes narrowed, and he sat back down, trying to come up with excuses as to why they were drenched from head to toe when they returned to the castle and would be confronted with a highly pissed Ameterasu…_

* * *

"I like the rain." Tomoyo stated mockingly "And besides, it wasn't that bad…"

"Not that bad? You were sick for a week!"

Tomoyo laughed silently, staring at the stars above her.

"So… when's the big day?" he smiled.

"Two weeks. On the 20th of September." She eyed him suspiciously for some sign of an angry outburst.

"Ah…and where will the ceremony take place?"

"At the Kintsuki Shrine." She sounded scared.

Kurogane hesitantly took her hand, intervening their fingers. Tomoyo sighed beside him.

"When you really do marry this…prince," he prevented himself from saying anything worse "I'll be there."

Tomoyo turned, looking at her friend with soft eyes "You would come?"

"Yes."

"Thank you"

"I'd do anything for you, you know that."

"Yes," she laid her head against his shoulder "I know."

Kurogane stroked her hair with his free hand.

"Maybe this Rioushin guy isn't that bad, he will be a caring husband, I can see that. And you will definitely be a happy wife " Kurogane heard himself speak but didn't really believe that _he_ was saying that.

"I would be a happy wife…" Tomoyo looked firmly into his eyes "…if I had the husband that I wanted."

Kurogane's eyes widened for a split second before he found her lips on his. She was half laying on him before he put a soft hand on her back and rolled onto her without breaking the kiss.

Tomoyo lay against the damp grass, breathing shallow, piercing him with her lavender eyes that he swore could look into somebody's soul.

Kurogane lowered his head again brushing her lips with his, and moved down to her neck, caressing it with kisses. His hand moved up to her shoulder, slowly removing the cloth of her kimono that was covering them. She breathed in sharply. He kissed her again on the mouth, first softly, then becoming more passionate and hard, only to softy brush his lips against hers again.

He moved down to her shoulders, kissing her collarbone while she melted under his touch. He grinned inwardly, knowing she liked it.

Just when he started to move farther down... a drop of something hit Kurogane's neck.

"What the heck?" he turned around, facing a suddenly black sky, a heavy downpour starting.

"Aw, shit!" he got up, Tomoyo looking bewildered "What's wrong?"

"Rain" he spat, getting soaked already.

Tomoyo laughed "It seems that only happens to us"

Kurogane growled.

"Well, I guess we better get back then" Tomoyo beamed and blushed at the same time.

"Suppose so"

Back at the castle, Kurogane delivered Tomoyo right in front of her door, wanting to say goodbye.

"Goodnight Kurogane" Tomoyo smiled.

"Goodnight, Tomoyo-Hime" he smiled back at her.

She kissed him on the cheek and went inside. Kurogane just couldn't stop grinning like an idiot the whole way back to his room.

* * *

**Note: So that was it :D I hoped you liked that...please review and comment! constructive criticism welcomed! If you have any suggestions on what I should write in the following chapters, please let me know! :) yours, Hatsue **


	8. She did this on purpose

**Authors' note: I am so incredibly sorry for not uploading. Thank you all for commenting and sticking to this fanfic. The comments I have read were just so magnificent, I grinned the whole time :) so here is the new chapter. I hope you enjoy it and thank you again for all the reviews!!!!:)**

**Disclaimer: I do noooot own trc (though I wish I did, muhahaha)**

**Chapter 8 "She did this on purpose"**

"Lalalala…"

"Tomoyo, I am glad that you are so happy that you're singing" Rioushin told Tomoyo lovingly. "In fact, these last few days you have been in very high moods…may I wonder as to why that is?"

"Oh, no reason in particular" she smiled at him and resumed eating.

Kurogane shoved something into his mouth to conceal his broad grin. They were at breakfast. A week and a few days had passed since their secret meeting in the woods. From that day on, they had met every night. Kurogane was highly satisfied that he had won back the friendship of his princess, but he knew that these nightly meetings would have to stop as soon as she was married.

He felt a light ache in his stomach every time they parted, because he always had to hold himself back and try not to kiss her. At the moment he was trying to be the best friend he could be and it would go against the law to kiss a woman who was promised to another man (not that he cared…).

"I expect our upcoming wedding is making you so happy. I too am very excited!" Rioushin beamed.

Being reminded of the wedding made Tomoyo's spirits fall immediately. "I guess so, my love"

It was only 2 days till she and the prince would be united, and she couldn't have felt worse.

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Tomoyo eyed her wedding kimono disdainfully. Luckily, her fiancé was standing behind her, unable to see her expression. Kurogane was standing next to him, and Rioushin, Tomoyo liked to think, always looked like a shrimp in comparison.

_I wonder what Kurogane thinks of this kimono….I really don't like it. But it doesn't have to be nice. I don't care what Rioushin thinks of me._

"What do you think of it? In Kentaji this is highly popular with the ladies. But I made sure you have the most magnificent one." Rioushin stated proudly and smiled at Tomoyo and then at Kurogane. He had started to like Kurogane after he had found out that he didn't feel anything for his princess.

"I think it's very…beautiful." Tomoyo lied.

She looked at Kurogane and he lifted an eyebrow.

_Yeah, I thought so, too._

"Good. You will look stunning tomorrow. You should try it on later, to see if it fits you properly." He walked over to her and hugged her around the waist. "I will have the most beautiful bride in the whole of Japan."

_Sigh._

She looked over to Kurogane, who had turned his head away from them, pretending to be interested in a few birds that were chirping in a cage nearby.

_Well, he doesn't care about me anyway. I think he only feels friendship towards me. He hasn't kissed me since we apologized to each other so that should be a sign that he doesn't like me, right?_

"Tomoyo, I have another surprise for you."

She looked back to him "Yes?"

"My father has informed me of something. I wanted to tell you tomorrow, at our wedding, but I can't bear it any longer", he smiled broadly "My father has given us a castle of our own as a wedding gift!"

"What?" Tomoyo and Kurogane said simultaneously.

"Yes! Isn't it wonderful? In Kentaji we have lots of castles, all over the country. The one he has given to us, Hanako Castle, is near my father's home, Hitsujo Castle. It's a very beautiful place. We shall move there directly after our marriage."

Tomoyo was speechless. Move away? Away from her family? Away from her people? Away from Kurogane?

Kurogane- that's what made her mind work again.

"That's wonderful, but will we have servants there? Or guards? Kurogane could come, he is after all my personal guard" she said, trying to point out that she _needed_ protection and therefore Kurogane.

"I did want to take him with us…", Rioushin said and a flame of hope wavered inside of the girl "…but I asked your honored sister and she said that we wouldn't need him because my father had told her that he had already arranged for servants and guards in Hanako. I told her that we could still take Kurogane and make him head of all the guards, I mean such an experienced swordsman would be most advantageous, but she insisted upon leaving him here."

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"DAMMIT!"

Kurogane punched the wall, leaving marks where his large knuckles had hit.

_That BITCH Ameterasu! She did this on PURPOSE! _

He was standing in his room, tyrannizing his furniture. So far a chair, a window, and a drawer had been broken in his rant.

After hearing those _'happy tidings'_ from Rioushin, Kurogane had politely excused himself saying that he had totally forgotten that Souma had wished to talk to him.

He paced up and down his room.

_What shall I do? What shall I do?! She'll LEAVE. She'll be gone FOREVER!_

A quiet knock stopped his pacing. He strode over to his door to open and glare at that wretched person who dared disturb him now.

It was Tomoyo.

"Oh" his expression went limp.

"Can we talk?"

"Sure. But not here. Let's walk around"

The last thing he wanted now was to let her see the mess he had made in his room.

They walked through the mighty castle until they came to a deserted corridor.

"I don't want to leave" Tomoyo looked at him with firmly.

"I don't want you to leave either"

"I talked to my sister. She says I have to go. It's hopeless."

Kurogane looked down at her. She wasn't standing as straight and dignified as she usually did. If this was how she would walk around now, shoulders slumped, head slightly down, he would really have to kick Rioushin's ass.

What could he do to comfort her? Tell her he would like to rip Rioushin to pieces and toss them across the country? Nooo…too brutal. But he bet she had already thought he would do something like that if he had the choice. How about telling her how he felt? Maybe.

So he sighed, leaned against a wall crossing his arms and looked to the heavens.

"Kurogane..?" Tomoyo stared at him for keeping so calm. She had thought he would go crazy.

"Don't worry. It's gonna be fine. That guy loves you and I think it will be a nice place to live. But I have to tell you that I-"

Tomoyo cut through "Oh, Kurogane I hope you're right. I'm just so sad that I have to leave my family behind. And my friends. And you."

Kurogane tried again "Well, princess, I will always be there when you need me. You'll always have my friendship. And my…"

_Love. Come on, you idiot, say it!!!!_

Tomoyo looked up. "And you're what?"

"My…"

_Love love love love!!!!!!!!_

"Uh…"

"Yes?"

"My…"

…_l…o…v…e.!_

"My services."

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!_

Tomoyo chuckled. "Thank you, Kurogane. And I thought you wanted to say.." she put a hand on her cheek and leaned on it.

"Huh? What?" he looked up. Could she have guessed??

"Oh..nothing" she chuckled again "Just me...daydreaming, I guess."

"...ah..."

_DAAAAAAAAAAAMN YOUR RUDDY STUPID ASS, KUROGANE!!! YOU ARE **SUCH **AN IDIOT!_

He cursed himself over and over in his head.

"I have to go now. There are preparations to be made...and the prince's father will be arriving shortly. Good bye" Tomoyo smiled at him and turned to leave, but Kurogane (who had stopped slapping himself mentally) quickly took her hand.

"Tomoyo...You can always count on me. Don't forget."

"I know." she laughed at his surprised expression "Thank you!" she called over her shoulder before she disappeared behind a corner.

He stood there alone for a few minutes before he came to a decision.

_Where is Ameterasu?_

* * *

**A/N: thanks for reading!:D the next chapter will be up shortly. **


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